Blog

A collection of 26 posts

Blog

Project Xerxes Cover Reveal

Cover reveal for Project Xerxes. A bit about the story and why the cover fits.

Blog

Book Review: Wool

A post-apocalyptic exploration of humanity in an extended pressure cooker. While I disagreed with some of the premise and struggled with a few mechanics, I enjoyed Wool enough to recommend it.

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Book Review: Red Rising

Red Rising has been recommended to me by everyone, everywhere (all at once) for so long that I must be the last sci fi lover on the planet to have read it. But in case I'm not, here's a review to convince you why you should drop everything and read it right now.

Blog

Timeless Keeper - Writing Wonders July 2023

Thought-provoking Q&A about the Timeless Keeper Saga and writing in general.

Blog

Holtondome sold out at BayCon 2023

Yeah, those two stacks of paperbacks on the left side of the table? Those were Holtondome and New Denver, and they were gone by the end of Day 3! Fortunately I had 2 more paperbacks of New Denver in stock, but I ended up selling a few Holtondome hardcovers for

Blog

Book Review: Gideon the Ninth

Gideon was so good that it threw me into a book coma and has made me question my skills as an author, and I mean those in the best possible ways.

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Z-Tech Chronicles - Writing Wonders June 2023

My collected answers for Writing Wonders, June 2023, which in honor of Pride Month focuses on The Z-Tech Chronicles.

Newsletter

New Denver - Cover Reveal

Cover reveal for New Denver (Timeless Keeper Saga Book 2) coming this August! A few words on the inspiration behind the artwork.

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Enigma - Writing Wonders May 2023

My collected answers for Writing Wonders, May 2023, which focuses on Enigma (Lost Colonies Book 1), releasing later this year.

Book Review

Book Review: Rhythm of War

An amazing sequel that took me 2+ years to finish because it has all the excitement—and the long buildup—of 4 books combined.

Blog

Book Review: The Red Scholar's Wake

­­­­The Red Scholar’s Wake ticks many boxes on my science fiction checklist: artificial lifeforms (can’t call them “AI”s these days) with human-like emotions; focus on relationships, complicated by extra-human concerns; realistic romance that complements the plot, instead of overshadowing it; great world building; a well-thought-out, imperfect, futuristic

Blog

Book Review: Legends & Lattes

What an amazing fantasy tale! At its heart, Legends & Lattes is a “retired adventurer” trope in a fantasy setting with a twist of steam punk, yet those descriptions alone don’t do the story justice. The protagonist, Viv, is endearing, as are her partners in crime, especially Tandri. The female

Blog

Book Review: Magus

Chalut really delivers with this last book of the Unwoven Tapestry fantasy series, wrapping up Donovan and Ruben's epic struggles in a memorable finale that kept me turning pages into the night. Magus expands on the unique magic system outlaid in the previous books, answering every question I had. It

Blog

Science Fiction Books That Broke the Mold

Shepherd.com just posted my list! This list contains some of the science fiction titles that inspired me to push genre boundaries and explore new territory with every series and book I publish. Each entry also has a brief summary of why I believe it belongs on the list. Shepherd

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2022 In Review, 2023 Ahoy

As with every year, 2022 had its ups and downs, but I'd like to reflect on the good book-related things that happened, with the hope of doing even better in 2023. My contributions to the boatload of great novels published by author across the world last year included: * Angels Found

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Character Spotlight: Cappa

Name: Cappa Z Series: The Z-Tech Chronicles Occupation: Chief Operations Officer at Z-Tech Enneagram Type: 3 - Achiever Gender identity: Female Age: Appears 30 Height: 5' 7" Weight: Appears 138 lbs. Hair: Dark brown Eyes: Blue Complexion: Fair with pink undertones Q & A What is your perfect day? Oh my!

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Enigma officially announced

Two official new book announcements in one week? How is that possible? Did I really write a second book in that short a time? I wish I was that cool. I started Enigma long before New Denver and had mostly finished it, but I put it aside in favor of

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New Denver officially announced

When a book gets a description and its own page on the website, you know stuff is getting real. New Denver (Timeless Keeper Saga Book 2) is heading for second-draft status and will be in the hands of beta readers soon. That means no more procrastinating on blurbs and placeholder

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The Z-Tech Chronicles Rebranded

I'm pleased to finally be able to unveil the rest of April's hard work. The Z-Tech Chronicles has a brand-new, science fiction look! Anyone who's read Angels in the Mist can tell you science fiction and technology play a major role in the series. This updated design better reflects that,

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Angels Adrift - Cover Reveal

Artist José del Nido and designer April Klein are on a roll! I'm so happy to finally be able to share this second-to-last cover in the series. I gave José a challenging request for an underwater sinking scene that also fits within the cover design. It took some back and

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Crossover Character Interview: Seg Holton

Cappa and Zima from The Z-Tech Chronicles interview Seg Holton from the Timeless Keeper Saga. This is the first of hopefully many cross-series character interviews from the diverse universes and timelines that my books span. They're standalone and spoiler-free, so even if you haven't read a single one of my

Blog

Author Interview - Small Publishing in a Big Universe Podcast

I'm in a podcast! Thank you Small Publishing in a Big Universe for letting me ramble about my books and writing process, and L.A. Jacob for being such a wonderful host. https://spbu-podcast.com/podcast/ryan-southwick/ Listen to podcast

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One Man's Trash Now Available

One Man's Trash has just been released to all your favorite retailers! "Awesome" and "adorable" are two ways readers have described this uplifting science fiction novella set in the Truck Stop at the Center of the Galaxy universe. Croft is a spaceship mechanic. Maria runs a budding water trading business.

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Book Review: The Coaching Habit

In addition to being a science fiction author, I'm also a scrum coach (the software kind) of, well, many years. I've had the good fortune to work with some of the best coaches in the industry and met several who quite literally wrote the book in their coaching areas. Now,

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Book Review: All Systems Red

All Systems Red is a wonderful science fiction novella that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The protagonist, self-named Murderbot, is exactly that. Its only problem? These pesky things called feelings that prevent it from not caring about its clients so it can go back to watching serial shows. Wells